LUXTM (Light Upon eXtension) primers

LUXTM (Light Upon eXtension) primers

Created by Invitrogen, LUXTM primer sets include a self-quenched fluorogenic primer and a corresponding unlabeled primer. The labeled primer has a short sequence tail of 4–6 nucleotides on the 5′ end that is complementary to the 3′ end of the primer. The resulting hairpin secondary structure provides optimal quenching of the fluorophore. When the primer is incorporated into double-stranded DNA during PCR, the fluorophore is dequenched and the signal increases by up to ten-fold. By eliminating the need for a quencher dye, the LUXTM primers reduce the cost (LUXTM vs TaqMan®).